A jury of our peers discussed, debated, disagreed, and finally declared LJ’s annual Top Ten Best Books of the year, selected by our editors, as well as Top Five lists for genre fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels, and SELF-e titles. VISIT THE WEBSITE

Wayne Simmons on his zombie novels Flu and Fever | Tantorious

Tantorious is a semi-monthly podcast series featuring interviews with well-known authors, hosted by Allan Hoving and presented by Tantor Audio.

Born in Belfast, Ireland, Wayne Simmons is the author of the zombie novels Flu and Fever, just published in print, e-book and audiobook editions by Tantor Media. Bram Stoker Award-winning author Joe McKinney calls Simmons “the bare knuckle boxer of the zombie genre. He hits hard, and he’s absolutely relentless.”

Excerpts from the audio interview:

Q: How did you become a horror novelist?

A: I’m something of a lifelong horror geek [laughs]. I watched a lot of early horror films, collected a lot of comics and action figures. I can’t actually remember a time when I wasn’t into horror. So it was a logical progression to want to get involved in some way. I started writing reviews, then interviewing horror authors, then decided “I gotta have a crack at this myself” [laughs].

Q: Why are zombies so popular right now?

A: In a way, zombies — and monsters of all kinds — have always been with us and never go away, because they represent what strikes fear in us. That said, certainly since 1968 when George Romero set the classic “Night of the Living Dead” in our laps, the popularity of zombies has grown. For me, zombies represent the herd mentality – that feeling of being alone and isolated – when all the odds seem stacked against you and there’s no way out. And we’ve all felt like that; it’s a metaphor that people relate to.

Tantor is a leading independent audiobook publisher that has been serving public libraries throughout the United States and Canada for over twelve years. It was the first company to provide a shelf-ready Retail case and packaging for the public library market. Tantor’s Library Services division includes a dedicated library sales force and customer service team. Tantor now publishes more than 60 unabridged new titles a month in three formats: Library edition, Retail edition, and MP3-CD edition. Tantor audiobooks are available directly from www.tantorlibrary.com and through all major distributors.